Jump to content

Heritage Terminology


Jonny

Pickerel or Walleye? Partridge or Grouse  

64 members have voted

  1. 1. Which term do you use the most often?

    • Pickerel
      26
    • Walleye
      40
  2. 2. Which term do you use the most often?

    • Partridge
      42
    • Grouse
      23


Recommended Posts

When I was a kid fishing with my parents, I didn't even know that another name for pickerel was walleye. Even when I was in my 20's I don't think I heard the term "walleye" used very much.

 

Same goes for partridge (ruffed grouse). Everybody just called them "partridge". Most people in Northern Ontario still do, I think.

 

"Pickerel" is still the term I hear used most commonly for walleye.

 

I like the distinctiveness of both those terms - pickerel and partridge - and they're what I'm used to. I wonder how prevalent they are in other parts of Ontario.

 

Just for the fun of it, I'm going to try to set up the poll feature on this board - hope it works for me...

IMG_0946.jpg

Edited by Jocko
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I call them both names during conversations. I've been brought up my whole life calling them pickerel and partridge...but facts are facts and that's just not their name, so I call them both, because I will never leave my roots behind.

 

 

As for calling them YUMMY....AGREED :P .

Edited by archie_james_c
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Again, how many walleral pickeleye polls do we need.

 

Sorry, haven't been around here long enough to know you had one. So I appreciate the responses.

 

I guess if a cyclical topic comes up (and clearly marked, like this one) you can just skip it? It's only a temporary waste of space. :D

 

I've gotten used to using the term 'walleye' after living in Southern Ontario the past 20 years, but partridge are partridge.

 

So I guess "pickerel" might be more prevalent in the north? The picture I posted is typical of the North Bay/Sturgeon Falls area. A number of eateries (restaurants, chip stands) advertise "pickerel" on their signs, but not walleye. So that must be the name people here mainly key in on.

 

Every once in a while you see it mis-spelled as "pickeral". :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I was kind of hoping that "walleye" wouldn't out-poll "pickerel".

 

Just made a shopping trip to North Bay today and counted 3 signs, all advertising "pickerel". I guess the term is alive and well around here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just made a shopping trip to North Bay today and counted 3 signs, all advertising "pickerel". I guess the term is alive and well around here.

 

That's because you are in a part of Ontario that has not been sufficiently Americanized and lobotomized :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's because you are in a part of Ontario that has not been sufficiently Americanized and lobotomized :lol:

 

Funny you should mention that. Nothing against our good friends to the south, but when I first started paying attention to the term, I considered "walleye" to be American, and that us good ol' Canadians called them pickerel. Maybe my impression wasn't so accurate even back then.

 

To me, however, they'll always be pickerel. :D

 

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy

 

Whoa! I'll second that! :D

 

A bottle of Canadian whisky - Five Star, V.O., Wiser's, Alberta Premium, doesn't matter. Anything that gives my Pepsi a kick. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can remember when Canadians were forced to except the name Walleye, which is crude slang for a cataract condition, so that American tourists would understand that the "Lodge" wasn't advertising "good fishing" for Chain Pickerel...a small type of Pike.

If we had to change the name, why couldn't we change it to the French Canadian name, Dore? At least that name isn't disrespectful of a fine fish...and it's 100% Canadian!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickerel and Partridge were the terms used here for most of my life. Never knew what a walleye was until I was in my twenties. I think your line is a little too far north.

 

Tom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i cant believe im having this conversation again.....

 

while i know that the term pickerel is prevalent in this area and geography is usually the strongest argument the simple fact is walleye and pickerel are two different fish. however, you know what you mean and i know what you mean when we say pickerel. what i have yet to see is what would happen if you caught a walleye (canadian pickerel) and an actual pickerel, and you had both in the livewell. would you say you caught 2 pickerel, or i pickerel 1 walleye, or how would you tell them apart if they are both pickerel - would you have to be from buffalo to know??? an onlooker would be confused when he saw 2 different fish in the bucket but you called them by the same name. hey its your business you can call them whatever you like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad grew up in Niagara and fished out of Port Colborne, I remember in the 50's he simply referred to them as Yellows, short for Yellow Pickerel, at the time I think the occasional Blue was still being caught.

 

 

Yeah I always called them Partridge , but then turned around and and called their cousins Spruce Grouse , go figure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you made me do it garrrry

 

Pickerel, common name for 3 closely related carnivorous, soft-rayed freshwater fishes in the PIKE family (Esocidae). In parts of Canada, the name is applied, erroneously, to the WALLEYE. The name is derived from an English diminutive of pike.

 

canadian encyclopedia.

 

and no, i dont get invited to alot of parties.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are actually three true pickerels - redfin, grass and chain. But they are to all intents and purposes practically unknown in Canada. If a Canadian calls a fish a pickerel you know exactly what he means. A grass pickerel is usually called a grass pike.

 

I don't see any "disrespect" in the name "pickerel" for walleye. It is what it is.

 

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lets put the shoe on the other foot, I keep hearing Americans on the Gulf Coast catching Speckled Trout. I am sure that a speck would last a matter of seconds in that warm salt water and they are really catching Spotted Weakfish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recent Topics

    Popular Topics

    Upcoming Events

    No upcoming events found

×
×
  • Create New...